WASHINGTON, DC – Today, on the 20th anniversary of the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced the Oil Pollution Protection and Response Act of 2009, which would update the landmark Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The bill would improve oil spill prevention and response, and implement long sought-after environmental safeguards to protect America’s waterways from contamination. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

 

“Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez spill, we still must work to do more to protect our oceans and the economies that depend on them,” said Cantwell. “Every year, 15 billion gallons of oil pass through Washington state waters. Our coastal economies literally ebb and flow with the rise of the tide; they provide recreation and thousands of jobs. The Port of Seattle’s facilities and activities support 190,000 jobs alone. To keep our coastal economies healthy, we must remain vigilant, we must remain determined, and we must not allow complacency to weaken our oil spill safety net. Investing in the protection of our marine environment and fishery resources will ensure a bright future for our coastal communities for generations to come. This bill takes what we’ve learned from past tragedies like the Valdez spill and makes strong, commonsense efforts to reduce the risk of oil spills as along our coastlines, as well as improve the cleanup of spills when they do unfortunately occur.”

“The Exxon Valdez oil spill sounded an alarm around the world that our waters are vulnerable to irreparable damage,” said Senator Kerry, who chaired the original Commerce Committee hearing on the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989. “Especially in this critical time for Massachusetts’ waters, we must do all we can to protect our fisheries and marine wildlife and habitats. By providing NOAA and our Coast Guard with the tools they need to secure our waters, we can respond quickly to spills to contain the damage and work to prevent tragedies like the one in Prince William Sound.”   

 

Approximately 600 oil tankers and 3,000 oil barges travel through Puget Sound’s fragile ecosystem annually, carrying about 15 billion gallons of oil to Washington’s 5 refineries. 

 

Despite a drop in the overall number of spills since the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the volume of oil spilled has not decreased. In fact, while 1992 saw vessels spill 665,432 gallons of oil, in 2004 the gallons spilled rose to 722,768.

 

Cantwell’s Oil Pollution Prevention and Response Act (OPPRA) is based in part on testimony submitted before several U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearings, including an August 2005 field hearing in Seattle and December 2007 hearing in Washington, D.C., both chaired by Cantwell. 

 

 

To help prevent oil spills, Cantwell’s legislation would:

 

Improve the Safety of Older Oil Tankers and Encourage the Use of Safer Vessels – The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 required all tankers to have double hulls by 2015. OPPRA would require the Coast Guard to increase inspections of single-hull tankers, as well as vessels with a poor safety record. It would make the owner of the oil product a responsible party if the owner contracts with a single-hull tank vessel after 2010 and knows or should know that the vessel has a poor safety or operational record.

 

Direct the Coast Guard to Route Vessels Around Sensitive Areas – OPPRA would require the identification of ecologically or economically importance natural resources, including fisheries, sanctuaries, and important estuaries. Routing and other navigational measures would then be used to reduce the risk of oil spills in these areas.

 

Pursue Stronger Enforcement of International Oil Pollution Agreements – OPPRA directs the Coast Guard to pursue tougher enforcement of the International Maritime Organization’s agreements to reduce the threat of illegal intentional oil discharges from vessels.

 

Address the Risk of Spills Resulting from Oil Transfer Operations – OPPRA would direct the Coast Guard to reduce the risk of oil spills from inadequately addressed activities, including the transfer of oil between vessels or between vessels and land-based facilities.

 

Address the Risk of Spills Resulting from Human Error – Human error is the most frequent cause of accidental spills. OPPRA would direct the Coast Guard to examine the most frequent sources of human error resulting in spills or “near miss” incidents. The Coast Guard would then use its findings to take appropriate action to reduce the risk of oil spilled because of human error.

 

Establish a Grant Program to Reduce Smaller Spills – OPPRA would authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish an education and outreach grant program to help recreational boaters, fishermen, and others who operate smaller vessels reduce the risk of a spill. 

 

Further Reduce Traffic in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary – Currently, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is a voluntary “Area to Be Avoided,” meaning many ships, including freighters and oil tankers, are asked not to travel through the area. More than 97 percent of these vessels comply. OPPRA would expand the list of vessel types asked to avoid the Marine Sanctuary.

 

To improve oil spill response, and response to disabled ships, Cantwell’s legislation would:

 

Enhance Oil Spill Preparedness in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Outer Coast – Currently the high volume port area in Washington state, in which additional response equipment must be stationed, does not include waters west of Port Angeles. OPPRA would extend the high volume port area west to Cape Flattery, requiring oil spill response equipment along the entire Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Hold an Oil Spill Response Drill Off Washington’s Coast – To help prepare for an actual emergency, OPPRA would direct NOAA to lead an oil spill response drill in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA has led oil spill response drills in Florida and California, and a similar exercise has long been planed for the Olympic coast. OPPRA would authorize $700,000 for the exercise.

 

To improve oil spill research, planning, and coordination, Cantwell’s legislation would:

 

Advance Oil Spill Research and Detection – OPPRA would reinvigorate a federal research program on oil spill prevention, detection, and response, and would establish a grant program to develop cost-effective technologies that detect discharges of oil from vessels.

 

Establish a Stronger Role for Tribes – OPPRA would require the Coast Guard to improve oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response coordination with federally-recognized tribes. Coastal tribes are particularly vulnerable to oil spills along Washington’s coast, and bore the brunt of past spills in the area.

 

Cantwell’s legislation would also improve Coast Guard coordination with states on oil spill issues, and direct the Coast Guard and Secretary of State to work with Canada to provide tug escorts to tankers traveling through the Haro Strait, Georgia Strait, or Strait of Juan de Fuca bound for Canadian ports. It would also take steps to protect the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund from depletion, and direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to review the safety of America’s oil transport system.

 

 

 

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